Well, we got in last night well after midnight following an extremely tiring day, so I’m afraid that this week’s Newsletter entry isn’t going to be all that much better than last time’s.
I remember almost skipping over ASM #299 on the stands of my local drugstore because the cover was so close to #298. Even just a different background cover on #299 would have made all the difference. Do you think there are any quick and dirty editorial fixes you could have made at the last minute to make the distinction between the two issues any clearer?
Yeah, I answered my own question. I guess I’m just curious about the options for last-minute cover changes when the comic is mostly finished and a situation like this develops.
Man, Tom, you hold yourself up to the high standards you expect of all your colleagues... lost sleep and you still have a treble of hundred words to share to people wanting to hear from Tom.
<real tip, spellcheck on this app substituted HATING when I fat fingered wanting in that last sentence -- I mean isn't that the weather report for all of us now in this age of always on>
SO I guess this is a THANK YOU message, brother, from when we all worked in comics in simpler -- and much bigger -- hothouse.
Pretty interesting section about covers, I liked the decade by decade minutia.
Question that might be silly: a new Ultimate Spider-Man was announced, but the Marvel Legacy numbering of the OG series went into Miles' series back in the days of Marvel Legacy. So, of course, that shouldn't go into this new volume, but they do share the title. Is this something that worries or is taken into consideration in editorial? I understand numbering might be something more interesting to us readers, but I wanna know more of the perspective inside editorial when preparing a new series and deciding about this aspects that are not mainly about actually creating the story and art.
Thanks again for answering my questions; I appreciate hearing your thoughts on these things.
For this week, since we're talking covers, I'd love to know more about the thinking behind variants.
I guess I have three main questions:
1) How do you decide how many variants each issue should get? Obviously #1s and big numbers get lots, but what logic goes into the issue 2s and 7s of the world?
2) Do you find any diminishing returns on too many variants? Like, is there a golden amount, and more variants than that is spending money with little return?
3) When there are thematic variants (like the Hellfire Gala ones or the recently announced winter sports ones), who decides what series get a cover?
I recently attended the NICE Comic Con in Bedford, England and was fortunate enough to get a sketch of Captain Britain from legendary artist Alan Davis. Alan was kind enough to give me the sketch for a good price as I was a proper comic fan and not a speculator on comic book art. This was so kind of him. Alan has had a long career and his art still graces special projects. Captain Britian has always been a favourite and stretches back to my childhood; the character Brian Braddock has a fantastic history and a deep connection to Arthurian Mythology which is very British. My question is can we have a final Captain Britain Alan Davis story and I although I love some of the things done recently by Hickman with the mythos in XMen - Captain Britain is not Betsy Braddock and the last series was dreadful - ideas with no character. Just read the classic Moore/Davis cap to see what can be done. Success of any character is about the quality of the writer/artist synergy and not the character!
Hi Tom! Is there any discussion happening around using a different paper type at Marvel? Would love to see a less glossy, sturdier paper stock used at some point (and would be happy to drop an extra dollar to see that improvement personally!). It just makes for a much hardier product, and reduces the potential for smudges and whatnot (not trying to be a complainer, what we get these days is a godsend compared to the newsprint of old, but it would be nice to see another upgrade at some point too).
Side note, and I hope you won’t mind me saying so, but I’ve also noticed lately many of the Marvel books I’m picking up over the last month are showing faded or blurred text. Is the team aware of this issue and is it being looked into? Just hope this is trickling in to those that can help address as it’s been a bit of a disappointment to see (and according to others I interact with online, it doesn’t seem to be an isolated issue I’m afraid).
Anyway, thanks as always for your wonderful newsletter!
Good afternoon Mr Brevoort I read your last column yesterday and saw that you had no questions for her, so I hope I don't abuse your kindness and ask you if, although I am enormously happy with the Spider-Woman series, there is any possibility that we can see it in 2024 in some team series or some novel prose or, not to be so specific, if apart from her Regular series we will see Spider-Woman somewhere else in 2024, that is, are there more plans for her? Thank you Mr Brevoort and although there is still a long way to go I am VERY curious to see you as editor of the X office and see where you take it.
Since Immortal Hulk is mentioned : Is it true that Hulk nearly had red eyes and white skin (or more like the color of bones), but you were able to convince Al Ewing to go with green skin instead ? Here's a visual made by a fan (with Paul Pelletier art) to show what it would have looked like : https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FD1yv-wXMAIuZQi?format=jpg&name=large
Let’s say issues 1-5 of a series are a five-parter. Issues 6 and 7 are a two-parter. Issues 8-12 are another five-parter. How is it determined if issues 6 and 7 become part of trade #1 or trade #2? Or given its own trade, maybe alongside an annual or a guest appearance? Or just not reprinted at all?
Now that Neil Gaiman’s MIRACLEMAN Silver Age is wrapping up, Will Marvel be publishing the planned Dark Age series? Have the Dark Age scripts and/or art been turned in?
I remember almost skipping over ASM #299 on the stands of my local drugstore because the cover was so close to #298. Even just a different background cover on #299 would have made all the difference. Do you think there are any quick and dirty editorial fixes you could have made at the last minute to make the distinction between the two issues any clearer?
As you point out, the background color would be the easiest way to fix it.
Yeah, I answered my own question. I guess I’m just curious about the options for last-minute cover changes when the comic is mostly finished and a situation like this develops.
Man, Tom, you hold yourself up to the high standards you expect of all your colleagues... lost sleep and you still have a treble of hundred words to share to people wanting to hear from Tom.
<real tip, spellcheck on this app substituted HATING when I fat fingered wanting in that last sentence -- I mean isn't that the weather report for all of us now in this age of always on>
SO I guess this is a THANK YOU message, brother, from when we all worked in comics in simpler -- and much bigger -- hothouse.
Pretty interesting section about covers, I liked the decade by decade minutia.
Question that might be silly: a new Ultimate Spider-Man was announced, but the Marvel Legacy numbering of the OG series went into Miles' series back in the days of Marvel Legacy. So, of course, that shouldn't go into this new volume, but they do share the title. Is this something that worries or is taken into consideration in editorial? I understand numbering might be something more interesting to us readers, but I wanna know more of the perspective inside editorial when preparing a new series and deciding about this aspects that are not mainly about actually creating the story and art.
Thanks again for answering my questions; I appreciate hearing your thoughts on these things.
For this week, since we're talking covers, I'd love to know more about the thinking behind variants.
I guess I have three main questions:
1) How do you decide how many variants each issue should get? Obviously #1s and big numbers get lots, but what logic goes into the issue 2s and 7s of the world?
2) Do you find any diminishing returns on too many variants? Like, is there a golden amount, and more variants than that is spending money with little return?
3) When there are thematic variants (like the Hellfire Gala ones or the recently announced winter sports ones), who decides what series get a cover?
Thanks, as always!
I recently attended the NICE Comic Con in Bedford, England and was fortunate enough to get a sketch of Captain Britain from legendary artist Alan Davis. Alan was kind enough to give me the sketch for a good price as I was a proper comic fan and not a speculator on comic book art. This was so kind of him. Alan has had a long career and his art still graces special projects. Captain Britian has always been a favourite and stretches back to my childhood; the character Brian Braddock has a fantastic history and a deep connection to Arthurian Mythology which is very British. My question is can we have a final Captain Britain Alan Davis story and I although I love some of the things done recently by Hickman with the mythos in XMen - Captain Britain is not Betsy Braddock and the last series was dreadful - ideas with no character. Just read the classic Moore/Davis cap to see what can be done. Success of any character is about the quality of the writer/artist synergy and not the character!
I very much appreciate your honesty, directness, and willingness to answer questions. This is a great Substack. Thank you!
Hi Tom! Is there any discussion happening around using a different paper type at Marvel? Would love to see a less glossy, sturdier paper stock used at some point (and would be happy to drop an extra dollar to see that improvement personally!). It just makes for a much hardier product, and reduces the potential for smudges and whatnot (not trying to be a complainer, what we get these days is a godsend compared to the newsprint of old, but it would be nice to see another upgrade at some point too).
Side note, and I hope you won’t mind me saying so, but I’ve also noticed lately many of the Marvel books I’m picking up over the last month are showing faded or blurred text. Is the team aware of this issue and is it being looked into? Just hope this is trickling in to those that can help address as it’s been a bit of a disappointment to see (and according to others I interact with online, it doesn’t seem to be an isolated issue I’m afraid).
Anyway, thanks as always for your wonderful newsletter!
Good afternoon Mr Brevoort I read your last column yesterday and saw that you had no questions for her, so I hope I don't abuse your kindness and ask you if, although I am enormously happy with the Spider-Woman series, there is any possibility that we can see it in 2024 in some team series or some novel prose or, not to be so specific, if apart from her Regular series we will see Spider-Woman somewhere else in 2024, that is, are there more plans for her? Thank you Mr Brevoort and although there is still a long way to go I am VERY curious to see you as editor of the X office and see where you take it.
Since Immortal Hulk is mentioned : Is it true that Hulk nearly had red eyes and white skin (or more like the color of bones), but you were able to convince Al Ewing to go with green skin instead ? Here's a visual made by a fan (with Paul Pelletier art) to show what it would have looked like : https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FD1yv-wXMAIuZQi?format=jpg&name=large
Let’s say issues 1-5 of a series are a five-parter. Issues 6 and 7 are a two-parter. Issues 8-12 are another five-parter. How is it determined if issues 6 and 7 become part of trade #1 or trade #2? Or given its own trade, maybe alongside an annual or a guest appearance? Or just not reprinted at all?
Now that Neil Gaiman’s MIRACLEMAN Silver Age is wrapping up, Will Marvel be publishing the planned Dark Age series? Have the Dark Age scripts and/or art been turned in?